The Hokkaido Museum of Northern Peoples (北方民族博 物館, Hoppō Minzoku Hakubutsukan) first opened in 1991. It showcases the customs, cultures and traditions of northern subarctic groups that have existed for more than 16,000 years ago in Eurasia and America like the Inuit, Sami and Siberian peoples. However, the Ainu and Okhotsk cultures are from regions within Japan yet there are similarities to the other ethnic groups that are displayed there. The architecture of the building is built to resemble the tents used by some of the northern people. The museum is one floor with multiple sections dedicated to specific findings and are arranged in easy to understand formats. There are permanent exhibits and there are ones that change because it is considered a special event. The sections in the museum are broken up into subsistence, spiritual world, clothing, dwelling, foods, Okhotsk culture and Magic Vision. The corner that is dedicated to the Okhotsk culture can be due to the fact that the Moyoro Shell Mound is by the Abashiri River. The Moyoro Shell Mound is an archaeological site that found evidence of the Okhotsk culture using Abashiri has a fishing and hunting ground.
